BBC Iplayer Review
If you’re in the UK then you might already know quite a lot about BBC iPlayer. This is the on demand TV service from the BBC which allows you to catch up on some of your favorite UK TV shows. This review will look at what’s great, and what’s not when using BBC iPlayer.
What is it?
BBC iPlayer is a video on demand service offered by BBC in the UK. This includes the ability to watch BBC TV shows and also listen to radio broadcasts. It’s possible to listen to past broadcasted programs, or if you prefer you can listen live. A word of warning though, if you want to watch TV live then you will need to have a TV license to stay legal.
Who would like it?
Anyone in the UK will really enjoy using BBC iplayer because it allows you to catch up on all your favorite TV shows.
Ease of Use
The BBC iPlayer is designed to be as simple to use as possible. It has a very nice, clean and crisp user interface. Simply select the program you want to watch and wait for it to load. You can then click the play button to start playing back the program. The TV program will play back after a very short delay in buffering.
You will be able to either use the website to watch programs online, or alternatively you can decide to download them to your computer using the iPlayer desktop app. Whichever option you choose, you should find it relatively straightforward to use.
When playing a video you will have the option to pause it, add subtitles and change the volume. It’s also possible to view the video in full screen, or pop it out so that you can position it at the side of the screen and continue working.
Cost
BBC iPlayer is free to people currently residing in the UK. There was some discussion about producing a subscription version for America, but when this will be released is unclear. You can watch as many programs as you like without needing to pay for anything. Being the BBC, there aren’t even any adverts to worry about. This means that you don’t have any excuses to get up and make the tea, but it does give you uninterrupted viewing pleasure.
Required Specs
iPlayer has been updated fairly recently which makes it much easier to access on different types of computers. Most computers will be compatible with iPlayer. When playing online you should have an internet connection of at least 1 Mbps. This means that almost any broadband connection will be ok, but dialup internet cannot provide fast enough speeds. iPlayer works fine in most browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome.
The BBC iPlayer desktop application is based on Adobe Flex which means that it is cross platform and can be installed on Mac, Linux and Windows without any difficulty.
How to Access
You can access BBC iPlayer in a number of different ways. The easiest way is to log onto the website at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer and start watching them online. Another option is to download the BBC iPlayer desktop app; the advantage of this is that it allows you to download shows to your computer to watch at a later date.
It’s also possible to access BBC iPlayer on other devices such as iPhones, Android Phones and Tablet computers.
Currently BBC iPlayer is only accessible from within the UK due to licensing restrictions. If you do want to watch iPlayer abroad then there are ways around this restriction. Accessing abroad through a VPN server should provide you with fast enough speeds to enjoy your favorite TV shows even when you are away from home.
If you have a new freeview or freesat box then it may also be possible to access iPlayer through this. This makes it very easy to watch the programs back on your television rather than your computer monitor. It is also possible to hook a computer up to most televisions if you don’t have this option available to you.
Quality
Watching TV shows and listening to radio broadcasts on iPlayer is very enjoyable because they are all in high quality. It is possible to watch some shows in high definition. It’s also possible to reduce the quality so that you can play the program back without stuttering.
Verdict
BBC iPlayer is a great website for anyone who wants to watch their favorite TV programs on the internet. This gives you the freedom to choose what you want to watch and when you want to watch it. As this is a free service you haven’t got anything to lose trying it out.
As long as you have a fast enough internet connection then you should have a lot of fun watching programs using iPlayer.